"So that's the bond between us, huh… In that case, I'll leave the Nine-Tails with you for now."
Perhaps it was something in Namikaze Minato's words—something that felt like kinship—that caused Uchiha Obito to hesitate. In the end, he chose to withdraw, temporarily giving up on taking the Nine-Tails from Uzumaki Naruto.
In the next moment, a kunai shot toward him from Naruto's hand, striking directly through him and shattering the genjutsu.
"Who was that man?"
Minato turned to Naruto and asked.
"He's the one behind all of this," Naruto replied, watching Obito's figure vanish into the sky. "He's the reason we were thrown into this place, and why all those strange things happened."
Not far away, Menma's body began to glow with a faint green light. The black color in his hair gradually faded, returning to the same blond as Naruto's.
Kushina and Minato rushed over at once.
By now, how could they not understand why their son had been acting so strangely earlier—why he had said they were fakes, that they weren't his real parents?
Naruto turned away, unable to keep watching.
Even knowing they weren't truly his parents… even knowing this entire world was nothing more than an illusion… seeing them together like that still made his chest tighten.
A soft glow began to rise from both Naruto and Sakura.
"Naruto, what is this…?"
Sakura stared at the light surrounding her, shock filling her voice.
"You're going back, aren't you? Back to your world?"
Minato spoke quietly, having already pieced everything together.
The boy in front of him wasn't his real son. His true child was Uzumaki Menma.
This one—Uzumaki Naruto—was simply his son from another world.
"Thank you… for coming to save me," Naruto said, his voice thick as he struggled to hold it steady. "And… even though it was only for a short time… I'm really grateful."
"For the first time since I was born, I got to experience all of this. Thank you for cooking for me… for worrying about me… for getting mad at me… for wanting me to live well…"
"Thank you. Really."
As the words left his mouth, the light around him grew brighter and brighter until, in the next instant, he vanished completely from the genjutsu world.
—
When Naruto opened his eyes again, he had already returned to reality.
This time, when he stepped into his home, it wasn't empty.
Umino Iruka was there, standing inside with a cake prepared, waiting for him.
"Welcome back, Naruto!"
—
The video ended.
"Sixteen years… He said sixteen years ago. If we calculate from Naruto's birth, that would put it at about three years from now, wouldn't it?"
Uchiha Itachi spoke thoughtfully.
"Three years… and then another three years. Kaede Kitahara mentioned three years in his diary too. It looks like everything begins three years from now."
He recalled the contents of Kaede Kitahara's diary.
Right now, the shinobi world still appeared relatively calm. The balance between the great nations remained stable, but more importantly, many powerful figures were still lurking in the shadows.
The Akatsuki.
Kara.
And even the extraterrestrial Otsutsuki Clan that might appear in the future.
The situation was complicated, but there was still time.
For Kaede Kitahara, those three years were a buffer—a chance to grow strong enough to protect himself.
But for Itachi, those same three years felt like a death sentence.
He was suffering from a Kekkei Genkai disease. His body was weakening with each passing day.
In other words, he might already be at his peak right now. Three years later, his condition would only deteriorate further.
That much was already visible in the diary's footage—during his battle with Sasuke, even though he had held back, it was just as much because his body could no longer keep up.
Three years later, the curtain would rise…
And he would already be dead.
Before, he hadn't thought much of it.
Now, however, a bitter unwillingness rose in his chest.
A deep, unshakable regret.
But there was nothing he could do.
—
"That idiot…"
Uchiha Sasuke clicked his tongue, though his expression softened slightly.
He understood Naruto better than anyone.
Even knowing it wasn't real… even knowing those weren't truly his parents… Naruto still wanted to stay in that world.
Even if it was just for a single day.
If it had been him instead… would he have done any better?
He, too, wanted to return to a world where his parents were still alive.
A world where his brother had left the village but hadn't slaughtered the entire clan.
A world where there was still a chance… that his brother might come back someday.
But what truly surprised him was Sakura.
Compared to now, the Sakura from three years later was clearly stronger—and far more resolute.
—
"Naruto… I'm sorry. But this time, I won't let you grow up alone."
Minato let out a quiet sigh.
—
Inside a luxurious building within the Shimura clan compound, Shimura Danzo was reviewing a classified report sent by one of his agents embedded within the Anbu.
The contents were clear:
The Third Hokage had ordered the Anbu to secretly investigate whether Kaede Kitahara's ancestors had ever intermarried with the Uchiha clan.
"The Kitahara family and the Uchiha clan…?"
Danzo frowned, unable to see the connection at first.
Then his eyes moved down.
Kaede Kitahara was suspected of having awakened the Sharingan.
Danzo immediately understood.
The Third Hokage must have noticed it and ordered an investigation into his lineage.
"Good… good…"
"Another remnant of the Uchiha."
Danzo's expression darkened.
Ever since Kaede Kitahara's involvement led to his confinement within his own home, his resentment had only grown.
Even Root had been dismantled and absorbed into the Anbu. Though he still believed the shinobi under him would never betray him, the mere thought of it infuriated him.
And now, seeing this—
Kitahara had awakened the Sharingan.
That alone was enough.
In Danzo's eyes, that made him a leftover of the Uchiha clan.
Old grudges and new hatred merged into one.
The Uchiha had always been his lifelong obsession.
What he inherited from Senju Tobirama was caution toward the Uchiha, but over the years, that caution had twisted into deep-seated hostility.
He had learned Tobirama's wariness, but not his willingness to accept the Uchiha under his leadership.
The clan had already been all but wiped out.
Once Uchiha Sasuke was eliminated, the Uchiha would be completely erased from Konoha.
And yet now… another one had appeared.
No wonder he had always found Kaede Kitahara so irritating.
So that was the reason.
Even though Kitahara's family name wasn't Uchiha, and there had been no known connection in his lineage, the moment he awakened the Sharingan, anyone aware of the truth would consider him one of them.
That was why Sasuke treated him with unusual friendliness.
To Sasuke, he was a clansman.
To Danzo, he was an enemy.
That was simply how things worked in the shinobi world.
"Keep a close eye on him. I want to know everything he does."
Danzo's voice was cold, his eyes glinting with calculation as he began planning how to deal with Kaede Kitahara.
This time, he would eliminate this remnant of the Uchiha.
He couldn't touch Sasuke because of his agreement with Itachi.
But Kaede Kitahara?
There were no such constraints.
"Oh, and one more thing. Send someone to contact Orochimaru."
Danzo suddenly added.
He remembered that Orochimaru had always been interested in the Uchiha body, even requesting Sharingan from him in the past.
The arm he now possessed had come from Orochimaru's research.
That arm had solved the issue of rejection, allowing him to host multiple Sharingan while maintaining balance with Hashirama Cells.
Now that another Uchiha had appeared…
Orochimaru would definitely be interested.
—
Night passed quietly.
At dawn, Kaede Kitahara woke early, preparing to leave the village using the Flying Thunder God to train elsewhere. That evening, he had plans to celebrate his promotion to Tokubetsu Jonin with the others.
Just as he was about to leave, Hatake Kakashi showed up at his door.
Kitahara stared at him as if he'd seen a ghost.
Kakashi—who was usually late for everything—had actually shown up early?
Kakashi caught the look and felt a bit awkward.
He knew his past habits weren't exactly admirable.
"I didn't expect Kakashi-senpai to come by this early," Kitahara said casually, motioning for him to sit.
Kakashi glanced at him.
He couldn't exactly say that he had come early because of Kitahara's diary—because he knew Kitahara usually went out at dawn to train using the Flying Thunder God, so he had come specifically to intercept him.
"I came for two things," Kakashi said. "First, to thank you for leading the team and helping train Sasuke and the others."
"No need to thank me," Kitahara replied easily. "I just taught them according to their strengths. It's nothing special."
If anything, he was more than happy to help strengthen the two future saviors.
The future depended on them, after all.
"No, that's not true. Those techniques are extremely valuable."
Kakashi shook his head.
"Naruto and Sasuke are different from others. Naruto's father was my teacher—I have a responsibility to see him grow up properly."
"And Sasuke… is tied to an old friend from the Uchiha clan. That friend died in the war, so it's my duty to protect the last remaining ember of his clan."
Kitahara nodded.
Of course he knew.
Kakashi's teacher was Namikaze Minato.
And that "old friend" he spoke of…
Was Uchiha Obito.
Only—
Obito wasn't dead at all.
He was very much alive.